Garlic scapes are such a delicious addition to foods whether in stir frys, pesto, or salads they are bound to be tasty! They do have a short window however, so luckily this year I was able to get 5- 6 lbs most of which was turned into Garlic Scape Pesto – recipe can be found here. This made 26 1/2 pint jars of pesto, (which are now in the freezer) and still there were 3 cups of garlic scapes left over. Many thanks to my friend Jude for her beautiful organic garlic scapes…life is sooo much happier with this delicious pesto. (By the way, this year, instead of using toasted sunflower seeds, I lightly toasted slivered almonds, and omitted the green onions – both are delicious)

On another note, we have been in an on and off heat wave in our neck of the woods….they are predicting a scorcher of a summer for us this year, so a savory cold ham and pasta salad is just perfect for those hot days. Thank heavens for the BBQ!

340 gram box of Gluten Free Spiral Pasta

1 cup roughly chopped garlic scapes

a generous 1/2 cup of garlic scape pesto (or any pesto would work nicely)

3/4 cup thawed baby peas

1 celery stalk, finely diced

1 cup cubed aged cheddar cheese

1 cup cubed cooked ham

1 cup mayonnaise

juice of 1/2 a small lemon

fresh cracked pepper

Cook the pasta as per directions in salted water, drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Add the pesto, stirring well so the pasta is nicely coated.